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Entrance to the psychiatric observation rooms, Alcatraz Hospital
@Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz

Illumination

One of the most haunting spaces in the prison — a pair of tiled chambers in the Hospital once used for the isolation and observation of mentally ill inmates — resonated with the sound of Tibetan and Native American chanting in this austere and moving installation. The Tibetan chant was a Buddhist ceremony for the goddess Palden Lhamo, protectress of Tibet; it was recorded at the Namgyal Monastery in Dharamsala, India, a monastery historically associated with the Dalai Lama. The Hopi music came from a traditional Eagle Dance invoking the bird’s healing powers. Hopi men were among the first prisoners of conscience on Alcatraz, held for refusing to send their children to government boarding schools in the late 19th century. (For information about Hopi prisoners on Alcatraz, visit the National Park Service website.)

Drawing pointed parallels between China and the United States, the work paid homage to people who have resisted cultural and political repression — whether Tibetan monks, Hopi prisoners, or the Indians of All Tribes who occupied Alcatraz from 1969 to 1971. The placement of the chants in the psychiatric observation rooms suggested an unexpected analogy: like subjugated peoples, those who have been classified as mentally ill have often been dismissed, deprived of rights, confined, and observed. Under the severe circumstances of incarceration, chanting could serve as a source of emotional comfort, spiritual strength, and cultural identity.

  • Psychiatric observation room in Alcatraz Hospital, site of Ai Weiwei’s sound installation Illumination, 2014; photo: Jan Stürmann
    Psychiatric observation room in Alcatraz Hospital, site of Ai Weiwei’s sound installation Illumination, 2014; photo: Jan Stürmann
    Stairs to the psychiatric observation rooms in Alcatraz Hospital, site of Ai Weiwei’s sound installation Illumination, 2014; photo: Jan Stürmann
    Entrance to the psychiatric observation rooms in Alcatraz Hospital, site of Ai Weiwei’s sound installation Illumination, 2014; photo: Jan Stürmann
    Installation Views
Ai Weiwei
Ai WeiweiChinese, born 1957

Ai Weiwei is a Beijing-based artist and activist whose work encompasses sculpture, installation, photography, film, architecture, curation, and social criticism. His art has been featured in major solo exhibitions including Ai Weiwei at Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, UK, 2014; Evidence at the Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin, 2014; and Ai Weiwei: According to What?, which was organized by the Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, in 2009, and traveled to North American venues in 2013–14. Ai collaborated with architects Herzog & de Meuron on the “bird’s nest” stadium for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience Award in 2015.

Ai Weiwei Website

Top: Entrance to the psychiatric observation rooms, Alcatraz Hospital; photo: Jan Stürmann Installation sound design by Earwax Productions. "Buddhist Ceremony for the Goddess Palden Lhamo," performed by Monks of the Namgyal Monastery, Dharamsala, India, © Victor Japan. "Eagle Dance," performed by Porter Timeche, from the recording Hopi Katcina Songs and Six Songs by Hopi Chanters, FW04394, courtesy of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. ℗ © 1964. Used by permission.

@Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz is presented by the FOR-SITE Foundation in partnership with the National Park Service and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.
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Support for the exhibition is provided by Roger Evans and Aey Phanachet, the Fisher family, and other generous donors.

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THIS WEEKEND: Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly, A Documentary Film by our founder @cheryllhaines will be on view at the 2022 GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL (@glastofest),

Screenings: Gas Tower Stage at Shangri La
🟡Saturday / June 25 / 4pm
🔵Sunday / June 26 / 4pm

The story of the film @aiww: @yourstrulydoc begins with FOR-SITE’s remarkable exhibition @ Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz. Following @aiww detention at the hands of the Chinese authorities, the outspoken artist and activist transformed the former island penitentiary of Alcatraz into an artistic platform. The resulting exhibition engaged over 900,000 visitors in a conversation about the plight of prisoners of conscience around the world.
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THIS WEEKEND: Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly, A Documentary Film by our founder @cheryllhaines will be on view at the 2022 GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL (@glastofest), Screenings: Gas Tower Stage at Shangri La 🟡Saturday / June 25 / 4pm 🔵Sunday / June 26 / 4pm The story of the film @aiww: @yourstrulydoc begins with FOR-SITE’s remarkable exhibition @ Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz. Following @aiww detention at the hands of the Chinese authorities, the outspoken artist and activist transformed the former island penitentiary of Alcatraz into an artistic platform. The resulting exhibition engaged over 900,000 visitors in a conversation about the plight of prisoners of conscience around the world.
1 day ago
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1/9
“Ultimately, Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly is a call to action, extending the incredible reach of Ai Weiwei’s art by asking us to take the issue of global human rights to heart and act accordingly.

In partnership with @amnesty International, festival-goers watching the Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly documentary at Glastonbury (@glastofest) will be given a blank postcard and invited by AI WeiWei to write their own message of hope to prisoners of conscience around the world. At the end of the festival, postcards will be sent by Amnesty to prisoners in Bahrain, China, Iran, and Vietnam. Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly is a call to action, extending the incredible reach of Ai Weiwei’s art by asking us to take the issue of global human rights to heart and act accordingly.” - @markhayeswestall for FAD Magazine (@worldoffad )

This exclusive UK screening of Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly will take place in the Shangri-La Field @shangrilaglasto at the Gas Tower at 4pm on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th June at Glastonbury Festival.
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“Ultimately, Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly is a call to action, extending the incredible reach of Ai Weiwei’s art by asking us to take the issue of global human rights to heart and act accordingly. In partnership with @amnesty International, festival-goers watching the Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly documentary at Glastonbury (@glastofest) will be given a blank postcard and invited by AI WeiWei to write their own message of hope to prisoners of conscience around the world. At the end of the festival, postcards will be sent by Amnesty to prisoners in Bahrain, China, Iran, and Vietnam. Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly is a call to action, extending the incredible reach of Ai Weiwei’s art by asking us to take the issue of global human rights to heart and act accordingly.” - @markhayeswestall for FAD Magazine (@worldoffad ) This exclusive UK screening of Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly will take place in the Shangri-La Field @shangrilaglasto at the Gas Tower at 4pm on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th June at Glastonbury Festival.
2 days ago
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2/9
The film Ai Weiwei: @yourstrulydoc  follows these postcards around the globe—from Alcatraz Island to Beijing, Washington, D.C., and Cairo—as director @cheryllhaines meets with former prisoners of conscience and their families to discuss their impossible choices and the comfort they found in messages sent by people they would never meet.
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The film Ai Weiwei: @yourstrulydoc  follows these postcards around the globe—from Alcatraz Island to Beijing, Washington, D.C., and Cairo—as director @cheryllhaines meets with former prisoners of conscience and their families to discuss their impossible choices and the comfort they found in messages sent by people they would never meet.
2 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
3/9
Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly, a documentary film based on the eponymous art installation that was part of @for_site’s 2014-15 exhibition @ Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz. Like the artwork, the film aims to inspire viewers to take action in the struggle for human rights at home and abroad.

@yourstrulydoc is part of the incredible line up at the 2022 GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL (@glastofest), June 22-26!
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Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly, a documentary film based on the eponymous art installation that was part of @for_site’s 2014-15 exhibition @ Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz. Like the artwork, the film aims to inspire viewers to take action in the struggle for human rights at home and abroad. @yourstrulydoc is part of the incredible line up at the 2022 GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL (@glastofest), June 22-26!
2 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
4/9
We are thrilled to announce that Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly, A Documentary Film by our founder @cheryllhaines will be on view at the 2022 GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL (@glastofest), June 22-26!

The story of the film Ai Weiwei: @yourstrulydoc begins with FOR-SITE’s remarkable exhibition @ Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz. Following @aiww detention at the hands of the Chinese authorities, the outspoken artist and activist transformed the former island penitentiary of Alcatraz into an artistic platform. The resulting exhibition engaged over 900,000 visitors in a conversation about the plight of prisoners of conscience around the world.

Stay up to date about the festival and showtimes by subscribing to our newsletter at the link in bio.
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We are thrilled to announce that Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly, A Documentary Film by our founder @cheryllhaines will be on view at the 2022 GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL (@glastofest), June 22-26! The story of the film Ai Weiwei: @yourstrulydoc begins with FOR-SITE’s remarkable exhibition @ Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz. Following @aiww detention at the hands of the Chinese authorities, the outspoken artist and activist transformed the former island penitentiary of Alcatraz into an artistic platform. The resulting exhibition engaged over 900,000 visitors in a conversation about the plight of prisoners of conscience around the world. Stay up to date about the festival and showtimes by subscribing to our newsletter at the link in bio.
3 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
5/9
Opening this Weekend: For-Site founder @cheryllhaines- @hainesgallery 
proudly presents Ai Weiwei: Everyday Monuments, a solo exhibition by the Chinese artist-activist opening June 2022.

Designed specifically for Haines’ new @fortmasoncenter gallery, Everyday Monuments comprises 18 works in materials such as LEGO, marble, and wood, each a synthesis of complex historical, cultural, and political references.

The exhibition marks the San Francisco debut of @aiww Zodiac (2018), a series of twelve panels depicting the mythical animals of the traditional Chinese Zodiac, created from thousands of brightly hued LEGO bricks. With their rich, contrasting colors and square shape, these works evoke Warhol’s celebrity portraits, while simultaneously referring to Ai’s first use of LEGO bricks for Trace, the enormous installation depicting political prisoners that was integral to the FOR-SITE Foundation’s 2014 exhibition @Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz. Previously recreated by Ai in bronze, the Zodiac heads remain a potent trigger for conversations about nationalist sentiment, provenance, authenticity, and cultural exchange.
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Opening this Weekend: For-Site founder @cheryllhaines- @hainesgallery proudly presents Ai Weiwei: Everyday Monuments, a solo exhibition by the Chinese artist-activist opening June 2022. Designed specifically for Haines’ new @fortmasoncenter gallery, Everyday Monuments comprises 18 works in materials such as LEGO, marble, and wood, each a synthesis of complex historical, cultural, and political references. The exhibition marks the San Francisco debut of @aiww Zodiac (2018), a series of twelve panels depicting the mythical animals of the traditional Chinese Zodiac, created from thousands of brightly hued LEGO bricks. With their rich, contrasting colors and square shape, these works evoke Warhol’s celebrity portraits, while simultaneously referring to Ai’s first use of LEGO bricks for Trace, the enormous installation depicting political prisoners that was integral to the FOR-SITE Foundation’s 2014 exhibition @Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz. Previously recreated by Ai in bronze, the Zodiac heads remain a potent trigger for conversations about nationalist sentiment, provenance, authenticity, and cultural exchange.
3 weeks ago
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6/9
The intimate, personal nature of the objects in @michelepred’s Encirclement highlight the ways we sacrifice privacy in exchange for illusions of safety.

 Image: Michele Pred, Encirclement; Home Land Security; FOR-SITE 2016; photo: @robertdiversherrick
The intimate, personal nature of the objects in @michelepred’s Encirclement highlight the ways we sacrifice privacy in exchange for illusions of safety.

 Image: Michele Pred, Encirclement; Home Land Security; FOR-SITE 2016; photo: @robertdiversherrick
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The intimate, personal nature of the objects in @michelepred’s Encirclement highlight the ways we sacrifice privacy in exchange for illusions of safety. Image: Michele Pred, Encirclement; Home Land Security; FOR-SITE 2016; photo: @robertdiversherrick
4 weeks ago
View on Instagram |
7/9
Living between New York and his native Seoul in a permanent state of migration, Do Ho Suh moves among cultures that have different views of individual and collective identity, fueling his interests in themes of identification, suspended illusion, and the fabric of memory. In his sculpture Some/One, thousands of dog tags representing individual soldiers combine to create a larger-than-life suit of armor, an arresting totem that suggests power composed of the many. But closer inspection reveals the dog tags to be fictional, each “name” a nonsensical string of characters. The mirrored surface inside the sculpture reflects the ambiguity of the individual’s relationship to the piece: When we see ourselves enrobed in the garment, are we secure in its embrace, or are we complicit in the illusion of security?

FOR-SITE’s 2016 exhibition “Home Land Security” extended focus on provocative art about place, inviting viewers into decommissioned batteries, an administrative building, and a chapel — some open to the public for the first time — that served for decades as key sites in the US Army’s Coastal Defense System. #ArtAboutPlace

Photo by @robertdiversherrick
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Living between New York and his native Seoul in a permanent state of migration, Do Ho Suh moves among cultures that have different views of individual and collective identity, fueling his interests in themes of identification, suspended illusion, and the fabric of memory. In his sculpture Some/One, thousands of dog tags representing individual soldiers combine to create a larger-than-life suit of armor, an arresting totem that suggests power composed of the many. But closer inspection reveals the dog tags to be fictional, each “name” a nonsensical string of characters. The mirrored surface inside the sculpture reflects the ambiguity of the individual’s relationship to the piece: When we see ourselves enrobed in the garment, are we secure in its embrace, or are we complicit in the illusion of security? FOR-SITE’s 2016 exhibition “Home Land Security” extended focus on provocative art about place, inviting viewers into decommissioned batteries, an administrative building, and a chapel — some open to the public for the first time — that served for decades as key sites in the US Army’s Coastal Defense System. #ArtAboutPlace Photo by @robertdiversherrick
1 month ago
View on Instagram |
8/9
@alexiawebster sets up temporary mobile portrait studios in the streets of refugee camps around the world, where she offers families uprooted by violence the chance to reclaim their heritage, dignity, and sense of belonging through professional photographs: “Whether in war or security, poverty or wealth, a family photograph is a precious object. It affirms our identity and worth, and our place in humanity,” Webster explains. 

 FOR-SITE’s 2016 exhibition “Home Land Security” extended focus on provocative art about place, inviting viewers into decommissioned batteries, an administrative building, and a chapel — some open to the public for the first time — that served for decades as key sites in the US Army’s Coastal Defense System. #ArtAboutPlace

Image:  Alexia Webster, Bulengo Studios, from the Refugee Street Studio Project, Home Land Security 2016, Photo by @robertdiversherrick
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@alexiawebster sets up temporary mobile portrait studios in the streets of refugee camps around the world, where she offers families uprooted by violence the chance to reclaim their heritage, dignity, and sense of belonging through professional photographs: “Whether in war or security, poverty or wealth, a family photograph is a precious object. It affirms our identity and worth, and our place in humanity,” Webster explains. FOR-SITE’s 2016 exhibition “Home Land Security” extended focus on provocative art about place, inviting viewers into decommissioned batteries, an administrative building, and a chapel — some open to the public for the first time — that served for decades as key sites in the US Army’s Coastal Defense System. #ArtAboutPlace Image:  Alexia Webster, Bulengo Studios, from the Refugee Street Studio Project, Home Land Security 2016, Photo by @robertdiversherrick
1 month ago
View on Instagram |
9/9

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